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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24438073">Only A Matter Of Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/genie_in_green/pseuds/genie_in_green'>genie_in_green</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lira169/pseuds/Lira169'>Lira169</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maya_Di_Angelo/pseuds/Maya_Di_Angelo'>Maya_Di_Angelo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Your Thoughts [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Backstory, Banter, Fluff, Gay, I Don't Even Know, Idiots in Love, M/M, Perks of having a soulmate, Permanent friend!, Pet Names, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Soulmates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:55:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,762</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24438073</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/genie_in_green/pseuds/genie_in_green, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lira169/pseuds/Lira169, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maya_Di_Angelo/pseuds/Maya_Di_Angelo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Confidant. </p><p>Thought-buddy.</p><p>Friend. </p><p>Secret-keeper.</p><p>Lover.</p><p>
  <i>Soulmate.</i>
</p><p>For as long as they could remember, Peter and Harley had a second voice in their head to keep them company. In the years to come, neither of them could have predicted how important a role the other would play in their own lives.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harley Keener/Peter Parker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Your Thoughts [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711342</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>529</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Best Harley Keener &amp; (or /) Peter Parker Fics</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Only A Matter Of Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! It's us again.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>For as long as they could remember, Peter and Harley had a second voice in their head to keep them company.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It started small, as most things in life do. Little murmurs, like voices distorted underwater. Unclear, but audible. As they grew older, the murmurs turned into words. Every day, they'd get little snippets of the other's thoughts - "</span>
  <em>
    <span>unfair</span>
  </em>
  <span>", "</span>
  <em>
    <span>upset</span>
  </em>
  <span>", "</span>
  <em>
    <span>cool</span>
  </em>
  <span>", "</span>
  <em>
    <span>pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span>".</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Of course mere words weren't enough to be coherent, so they were easily dismissed as fleeting thoughts. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The voices became harder to dismiss when words turned into phrases, and then into full sentences. It wasn't a smooth connection, but they slowly worked out that the person on the other end could hear their thoughts. At that point, they were smart enough to figure out that this wasn't a normal thing for people their age. It became their little secret, even after they found out they were soulmates.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter liked to use the other voice as a personal confidant, a secret partner. Why not? The other person, his thought-buddy, was stuck with him, so he might as well work with it. He started trying to send thoughts of what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to say to that mean kid who stole his red crayon, what his favourite colour was, and even the little things, like how May couldn't cook but she tried and how much he liked Iron Man. Occasionally, he'd get an interested "</span>
  <em>
    <span>oh?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" in response, and it made him happy, even though he wasn't able to elaborate any further with their finicky mind connection.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley didn't have a lot of friends, but he barely noticed it. His waking moments were filled with little snippets of his thought-partner's life, speaking to him like he was a friend, a secret-keeper. It made him feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a feeling that was foreign to him, but with both the voice’s and Abigail's help, would become familiar. He tried to send some stories back, too, as much as he could talk about his boring, mundane life. He wondered what his dad was doing, he talked about how his baby sister threw a tantrum that morning, and he rambled on and on about school, though he didn't exactly possess the same amount of wonder at everyday events, he tried.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>On Peter's thirteenth birthday, the bond snapped into place, like a stretched rubber-band finally snapping back into its original form. It felt like he was no longer listening to a voice underwater. His mind was clearer than it had ever been, and for a moment he worried that his partner was gone. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Ow, that was weird."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he heard it:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Tell me about it."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Peter let out a sigh of relief, then his eyes lit up in excitement. He could hear them! So clearly too!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Woah what is that you? You're Southern! I guessed you were Southern but with the weird distortion I couldn't be sure, that's so cool!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Wow, this dude is way too excited for 9am in the morning."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I can hear that, you know."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out that a smooth connection was not a hundred percent perfect, because now Harley's thoughts were all being transmitted for his partner to pick apart, and his partner's thoughts, likewise, were no longer his, not that it was much of a problem for him. Harley had a suspicion that his thought-buddy said whatever came to his mind, anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Learning to filter which thoughts got through the bond was tricky, but they slowly got the hang of it. By the end of the year, they almost had full control over what the other heard, aside from a few stray thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Within that timespan, they learned a lot about their partner. Harley learned that his excited, optimistic thought-buddy was Peter, a boy living in New York City with his aunt and uncle, and attended a highschool for the intellectually gifted. Peter learned that Harley had snark, was allergic to happy thoughts, lived in Tennessee with his mother and younger sister, and loved to tinker with gadgets in his garage. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>That was the beginning.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>~v~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, the road to forming a closer relationship was not always smooth. Nine months into exploring their fully formed bond (and slowly, steadily falling deeper in love), one such bump revealed itself in the form of jealousy.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They were slowly getting better at controlling which thoughts were transmitted to their counterpart, but nine months were not enough practice to make it foolproof.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wow, she’s pretty.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter frowned, his attention pulled away from Mrs. Brown’s lesson on Newton’s laws. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What? Who is?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, you weren’t supposed to hear that.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter let out a huff, his chest burning with an emotion he had never felt before.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, well, I heard it. Who’s pretty?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Just a new girl in school. Her name’s Gwen.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Parker, have I offended you in any way to earn that furious glare?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter blinked at Mrs. Brown, who was raising an eyebrow at him. His classmates started muttering amongst themselves, and he could hear Flash’s remark about him getting detention.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Mrs. Brown, I’m just frustrated with this inertia law, I don’t get it, sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Mrs. Brown let out a sigh, turning back to the board to repeat her explanation of Newton’s First Law - which Peter could already recite without thinking, thus buying him more time to ponder upon Harley’s words.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Gwen.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>What an ugly name. Peter didn’t believe a girl with a name like that could be any prettier than the average girl.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pete, you okay? You’ve been quiet for a while.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah, sure. Why don’t you go talk to Gwen?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Gwen? What does she have to do with this?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter ducked his head so he was glaring at his own textbook. Why was he so angry? He just didn’t understand.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Peter, you’re not jealous, are you?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Why would I be jealous? We’ve only been talking for nine months.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter could hear Harley’s laughter through the bond. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Peter, we’re soulmates. What do you have to be jealous of?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Not all soulmates stay together!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t you have faith in us?”</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Wh-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Peter,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>the way his name was said reminded Peter of the way an adult spoke to a kid, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“you do know I’m gay, right?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Well now Peter felt stupid. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You must really like me if you’re jealous of a pretty girl.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em></em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  
  <em>
    <span><br/>
</span>
  </em>
  <em></em>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And Harley, being the absolute devil that he was, did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>shut up about it, not when school had ended, not when Peter had dinner with Ben and May, and not when it was nighttime and he laid in bed wishing there was a way to kill his soulmate through the bond.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>~v~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The bond would prove useful in the years to come. The perks of having a soulmate, include the benefit of having someone who would listen, no matter what. No need to worry if the person would pick up the phone, or if they would see your message. They stuck with each other, through thick and thin.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley was there to listen when Peter got into one of his rambles about biology, or when Peter just needed to rant about how much he disliked broccoli, especially when May cooked it. Harley was there for Peter when he got pushed around in school and felt insignificant, and Harley was there to comfort Peter when he cried because he saw a cat fail to catch a bird and </span>
  <em>
    <span>that poor cat is going to starve</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Needless to say, Harley was there when Ben died, a comforting presence amidst the thoughts of </span>
  <em>
    <span>it'smyfaultit'smyfaulti'msorry </span>
  </em>
  <span>that continually seeped through from Peter, years after they mastered thought-filtering.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter was there to listen when Harley talked about Abby's cute little drawing of him, or when Harley just needed to rant about how pointless it was for him to come to school on time if his teachers always started class late. Peter was there for Harley when the loneliness from a lack of friends  got to him and he started questioning if he's doing something wrong, or if he started worrying about pushing Gwen away. No matter the time of day, Peter would always listen when Harley got into one of his moods, and wondered what his dad was doing, and if his dad was happy, now that he was away from Harley.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They grew up together. They learned together. When one stumbled, the other was there to catch their fall. They didn't have to worry about falling unheard in a forest, because they knew that at the very least, their soulmate would hear their cry for help.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley helped Peter gain confidence. He listened with patience as Peter's rants slowly changed from wondering why he was being bullied to wondering why he wasn't standing up for himself. Harley helped Peter see not </span>
  <em>
    <span>only</span>
  </em>
  <span> the good in the world, but the good in himself. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter helped Harley gain confidence, too. He listened with enthusiasm as Harley slowly stopped protesting Peter's compliments, or his declarations of affection. Peter helped Harley see that he was deserving of love, regardless of what his dad may have said. Slowly but surely, Harley started to love himself as much as he loved Abby.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They still didn't get registered as soulmates. it started out as a reluctance to put a label on their relationship, and evolved into a game of how long they could hide their bond.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hey Harley?" </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter asked one night, as he laid in bed, wide awake.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Do you think we could meet each other, someday?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Of course, babe. We're soulmates. It's only a matter of time."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>And so they waited. They didn't trade phone numbers. They didn't trade pictures. They waited, until they could meet face-to-face, because as much as it killed them to wait, they knew it would be worth it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>~v~</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hey sweetheart,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley smiled as he picked at his food.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Hi Harley,”  </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley stilled, and his brows furrowed together into a frown. Peter didn’t sound well, and he usually addressed him by that wretched (adorable) name - Princess.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You okay baby?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harley ventured cautiously. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah… never better.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s that idiot again? Is he bothering you?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“As usual,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter sighed, thumping his head against the table. He was lucky Ms. Warren had caught Flash trying to intimidate him, he had a feeling he would have snapped and punched the moron if it had lasted any longer, thank god for that. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Darlin’ you can’t keep doing that,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley growled and stabbed the lump that was his food. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He keeps trying to beat you down again and again and you just let him!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter rubbed his face and began drinking some water to avoid MJ’s assessing glance. She was going to figure him out before anyone, he just knew it.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Har-bear,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harley blinked at the new nick-name, the tip of his ears turned red and he ducked his head to hide it from Gwen. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“I really can’t do that. His parents are on the Board and to be really honest, I feel sorry for him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley raised an eyebrow in surprise. Okay then. He feels sorry huh?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I can literally feel the disbelief pouring out from you here in New York,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter said dryly. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You can’t blame me, honey.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter flushed, as he always did when Harley called him ‘honey’. He swallowed and pointedly looked at his lunch as he felt MJ’s eyes bearing into him. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stop calling me that!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What? Honey?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley asked, lips twitching. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Why not, </span>
  </em>
  <span>honey</span>
  <em>
    <span>?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“HARLEY!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter wailed and bit his lips hard as he felt his neck redden again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Please! I’m with MJ and Ned, and you know MJ will find out if I randomly start blushing!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley chuckled, conceding and ceasing his attacks. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay let’s get back on topic, yes ?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He asked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“What do you mean you’re sorry for him?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter cursed and got up, emptying his tray into the bin as the bell rang. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well let’s just say his parents aren’t exactly the best role models.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Darlin’ that doesn’t give him an excuse!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley sniped.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter winced. Right, Harley’s father. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sorry baby.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s fine Pete, but you have to stand up for yourself.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t need to! It’s fine Harls. Trust me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley exhaled, lips pressed tight together. Peter was too self-sacrificing for his own good and nothing he’s going to say was going to make a difference. That didn’t mean that he’d stop trying. Why did he always have to care for self-sacrificing idiots?</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you say so Darlin’,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley conceded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“On a completely unrelated note, guess who’s moving to NYC?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley grinned as the gasp of excitement echoed in his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“No way,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter gasped, a warm feeling seeped through his bones and his leg started to bounce in giddiness. His soulmate, his annoying other-half was finally going to come. He was finally going to meet the boy who cared for him unconditionally, who made him fall in love </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard</span>
  </em>
  <span>, who made every breath he inhaled filled with happiness. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“No way!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yes way!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley bit his lips to hide the grin uncontrollably spreading across his face. The mere excitement in Peter’s voice sent a burst of warmth in his chest (similar to that golden warmth that spread through Eugene’s body in Tangled) -it still surprised him that someone could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>excited to see him. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter stopped walking, and waved off a curious Ned and a bored-looking MJ. He turned and raced away in the opposite direction, then quickly slid into an empty classroom. Sliding against the door, he gasped again. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Harley,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> His voice shook as he buried his face into his knees, trying to take deep breaths to stave off the upcoming wave of sobs that threatened to rattle his body.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley got up from his table, with a frown appearing on his face  as he heard Peter’s shaking voice and quickly ducked into an empty bathroom. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Baby?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>He called worriedly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Baby are you okay?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter lets out a laugh, not his usual bubbly laugh that lit up any room he entered, but a laugh that sounded watery and rough. Yet, filled to the brim with pure, unadulterated love.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Harley, Harley…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter sobs, curling up against the door, head tucked between his knees. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Darlin’,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley called again, confused and more than that worried about Peter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Sweetheart please tell me what’s wrong? Baby, please…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter let out a shuddering breath and tried to control himself, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You’re coming.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harley admitted softly, a bit relieved now that Peter had stopped making those heart-wrenching sounds that tore his soul apart. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Yeah love, I always planned to.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter tipped his head and stared at the ceiling, a soft smile shining on his lips like the northern star. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you Har-bear,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter sighed contentedly and added softly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“To the end of the universe.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley ducked his head, a trail of blush spreading down his collar, and smiled shyly.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I love you too darlin’, to the end of time.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>~v~</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter tapped his pen rhythmically against the table and stared at the board, already knowing what Mr. Silveski (or Mr. Snape, as Peter liked to call him) was yapping about in that oh-so-infuriating condescending voice. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He gritted his teeth hard, which would have been too painful to any other human, and kept his lips shut as Mr. Snape called Flash, Betty and him to the board to work on the equation. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Normally, this wouldn’t have been a problem, as he was quite the master in dealing with arseholes but Harley landed early this morning, and with every second that passed with the man droning on with spite and insults layered inbetween, Peter was losing his mind. He almost regretted blocking Harley out of his mind for the period. One other thing about Snape is that the man held a grudge against anything associated with Tony Stark. Which also included Peter. Another thing that just brought joy to Peter’s life. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The man tapped the stopwatch and motioned for them to get started. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sighed and scoffed (secretly) at the equation, before making quick work of it. He turned around and dropped the chalk on the table, signalling that he’d finished. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Behind him Flash and Betty stopped writing half-way through their answers and looked at the teacher. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Parker,” Snape drawled. “You haven’t used the correct methods.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter raised an eyebrow, looking completely uninterested. “I haven’t used </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>methods, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Mr. Snape used glare #23 (which was reserved especially for him, he found out) on him and sneered, “Just because you think you can use whatever method you like doesn’t make it acceptable.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Behind Mr. Snape, Flash and Betty winced at the harsh tone.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter shrugged non-committedly, “It’s not what I think, I know I can use those methods and I have because I know they’re right.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Someone whispered “fuck” in the otherwise death silent classroom. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh good then,” Mr. Snape sneered, obsidian eyes glinting maliciously. “You know it, do you Mr. Parker? Then pray tell where you’ve seen it being used?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter’s lips twitched - as usual the man was underestimating him, clearly not thinking that Peter may have actually learned it and not just used it because it was  the easy method. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“The book, presumably,” drawled Peter, ignoring the gasps. “Page 84, which you would have known if you had read it, sir.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was comical, how the blood rushed to Mr. Snape’s otherwise pale face, turning it into something akin to a red potato. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Get. Out.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter grinned, and slung his bag on his shoulder (which his ever faithful friend Nedthanial chucked at him). </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“With pleasure,” He skipped out of the room, cradling his books in his arms with a giant smirk etched into his face. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Flashing a peace sign at his gaping classmates, he bounced to his locker. It was only luck that it was a few minutes till school was over. Digging out his skateboard, Peter quickly tried to sort through his books before the bell rang. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter grinned as Ned’s excited chatter reached his ears after the bell rang, five minutes later. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude dude dude!” Ned repeated like it was a sacred mantra and kept jumping up and down on his feet. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dude!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter huffed out a laugh, “Yes, Nedthanial?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>MJ scoffed as Ned kept jumping up and down without responding cohesively. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’ll see you later loser,” then she spared the giddy looking Ned a look. “When he returns to the human world.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter chuckled, and nodded, “see you guys tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t you wanna make mischief your daily routine?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter sang out loud in his mind the second he lowered his mind shield. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t you wanna be finger-licking evil to the bone!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“. . .Babe?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter cackled (in his mind, he didn’t actively try to make people assume he’s mad) at the audible hestiance colouring his soulmate’s voice.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Babe you’re really scaring me,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harley said warily as he clambered down the Stark Tower front entrance.  </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter laughed, skidding against the pavement on his skateboard. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I pulled a Tony in class.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley huffed in disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sweetheart what? Am I hearing you right? You pulled a Tony in </span>
  </em>
  <span>Snape’s</span>
  <em>
    <span> class?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Yep! Bad news: It was to Snape,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter giggled as he weaved through the crowd of people. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Pretty sure I’ll get detention tomorrow.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A delighted laugh left Harley’s lips as he continued walking steadfast, monitoring the map on his phone screen. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“My my sweetheart, how you continue to surprise me.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter flushed and let a pleased smirk tug at his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well then, I’ll just have to </span>
  </em>
  <span>show</span>
  <em>
    <span> you more, won’t I, Princess?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley choked and stuttered to a stop. Someone brushed past him, cursing at him for standing petrified in the midst of the bustling New York battleground people called a street.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Fuck.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter grinned at the obvious hitch in Harley’s voice. It was nice to know that his other-half wasn’t impervious to teasing. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Pete, fuck. Why do you do that to me?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley asked and continued walking, trying to quell the sudden onslaught of the very descriptive images his mind conjured (and re-conjured from his dreams). </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You think I’m just saying that?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Peter asked, canines showing as his lips stretched into a predatory smirk. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Trust me, my dear damsel in distress, I’m not just saying that.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Somehow, I don’t doubt it at all,” Harley muttered and cursed as he heard Peter cackle, he had not meant for that to be heard. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Okay, okay. I’m at the front of the cafe.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harley said, trying too hard to divert the conversation.  </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh damn.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley blinked and leaned against the railings curved around the front stairs of the cafe. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter didn’t reply immediately, and instead stared at the blonde waiting outside </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gregory’s Coffee</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Of course his soulmate was a freaking model, Fate liked to torment him a tad too much for it to be normal.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter sucked in a breath harshly and cursed. Right,  Harley was still waiting for his reply. Fuck, he was so screwed. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nothing,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Peter assured, watching as the confused frown lingering on Harley’s face disappeared and a soft smile took residence. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“By any chance, are you wearing your old </span>
  </em>
  <span>Garfield </span>
  <em>
    <span>t-shirt under your shirt?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter cracked a grin as he watched Harley jerk up straight and swivel his head searching for him, happiness blooming in his chest. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“. . .Yeah?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Look right, doofus.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter smiled as blue eyes, dark as the ocean settled on him, and a wide grin split the other's face in half. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Taking a hesitant step forward, Peter held his skateboard tight nervously. The sound of his heartbeat thrummed in his ear as the world outside their entwined souls ceased to exist. Eyes locked on one another, unseeing of the raucous city that surrounded them. Heart beating in their chest only for the other. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Another unsteady step, then Peter exhaled the air that had been confined in his lungs with a shudder and took off into a run, jumping into the waiting arms of his other-half. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley tightened his arms around the warm body curling against him and buried his face in the mop of brown hair as his fingers clung onto Peter tight. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Harley shuddered, heart racing so fast against his chest that there should be a mark left behind, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally.</span>
  </em>
  <span> After years of engulfing longing and clutching tendrils of raw want, they were finally together.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey darlin’,” Harley managed his voice thick with emotion, afraid to open his eyes in fear of waking up from this dream. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful</span>
  </em>
  <span> dream.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Peter grinned at Harley, eyes glistening with unshed tears and took a step back, forcing Harley to open his eyes. Blue and brown locked onto one another.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey there, Princess."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A few notes about this universe that we find it more appropriate to put here than write it into the fic:<br/>-Harley is 8 months older than Peter, Harley's birthday is in January<br/>-Harley and Peter both met at the same daycare, when Harley's mother was in NYC for work<br/>-The bond snaps into place when Peter turns 13 because his birthday is later</p></blockquote></div></div>
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